Antioxidant Benefits

One of the key benefits of OPC-3 is the prevention of damage from free radicals to the body’s healthy cells. Free radicals are unstable molecules that have an uneven number of electrons. In attempting to bind with stable molecules by taking an electron, they make stable molecules unstable, destroying the health of those molecules. This results in tissue damage that can cause cancer and accelerate the aging process. As an antioxidant, OPC-3 can safely interact with free radicals and stop the destabilizing chain reaction from occurring.

Anti-Inflammatory Benefits

OPC-3 is also an anti-inflammatory supplement used to reduce stress and menstrual cramps, as well as improve blood circulation, skin complexion and eye health. The anti-inflammatory properties are also useful for pain relief, being used for joint pain, general cramps and abdominal pain. OPC-3 is also claimed to prevent cardiovascular disease glucose imbalances and elevated cholesterol levels.

Taking Isotonix OPC-3

Bottles of Isotonix OPC-3 are sold online and in health food stores in 30-serving and 90-serving sizes, with an average cost of $30 and $70 respectively. The recommended loading dose is two to three capfuls (servings), while the long-term maintenance dose is two capfuls. Each capful of the Market America product is 3.4 g, containing 25 mg of each of the five extracts.

Unlike the older OPC powdered product that was developed in France, OPC-3 is sold exclusively in liquid form. Antioxidants taken in liquid form tend to be more easily absorbed by the body than tablets or powder-based supplements. Though antioxidants are most easily absorbed in whole foods (i.e. a well balanced diet), it would be extremely difficult to get the same concentration that would be consumed by taking OPC-3 on a regular basis.

The Best HCG Diet Recipes. The main site is exactly what the title states: a collection of hCG diet recipes. Whether or not they’re the “best”, they definitely look fantastic. The blog section of the diet is a post-by-post account of the blogger’s progress with the diet, and she’s quite frank about her wins and setbacks, as well as those of her boyfriend, who also is on the diet. While the hCG diet is often touted as being easy to maintain, blogs like this illustrate that resisting temptation on any diet is a challenge. But even with an occasional surrender to cravings, she still managed to lose 22.4 pounds in 27 days. This site by “Dee Lish” (her persona) is a first-rate personal hCG diet blog.

Amie’s HCG Experience. This hCG blog, updated under late 2009, is an absolute must-read if you’re looking for a thorough first-person account of a dieter who logs her experience right from the beginning all the way through Phase 2, Round 2. While she was on the diet, Amie would post a new update every two to four days, and most posts cover stats, events (what she ate, what she should’ve eaten, family issues) and her emotions; a few even include before-and-after pictures. On Round 2 alone, Amie went from 160.4 pounds to 142.8. What the blog lacks in design it makes up for in content—and has no advertising whatsoever.

HCG Blog. A lot of this site has an “Under Construction” feel to it. The link to the hCG diet recipes section, for instance, has no recipes as yet. Many personal diet blogs aren’t as fleshed out as blogs that are more clearly commercial (Dee’s blog is a noteworthy exception). What does distinguish the site is that it’s one of the few hCG blogs to chronicle the blogger’s entire 40-day diet—not each day, but an average of one post a week, beginning from the time of ordering hCG to Day 40. The blogger, Alex, lost 18.4 pounds in total, and her boyfriend, Nathan, lost 19.2 pounds.

Kims HCG Diet Blog. Kims HCG Diet Blog (the apostrophe is omitted in the blog title) was actually updated by Kim’s husband, Jeff, who posted his wife’s verbal accounts of her progress over an eight-week period in early 2009. This isn’t an extensive blog, but a good one to review in a short session. Despite cheating on the diet a few times, she lost 27 pounds between January 5 and February 14. While is doesn’t have a tenth of the posts that Amie’s blog has, it has all the same integrity, full of honest self-assessment, and devoid of advertising.

The Controversial Diet that Really Works. Erin Flaherty of Marie Claire magazine published Alison Edmond’s account of her experience with the diet. After researching the diet, Edmond remained skeptical of the theory, but decided to take a chance by enrolling in a Studio City weight loss clinic. 45 days and $1250 later, she lost 25 pounds. This is a great resource for anyone considering dieting with the help of a clinic, especially since she seems to reflect the disposition of the average person adopting the diet—cautious, but open-minded.

Simeons Protocol Review – HCG Diet. AnabolicMinds.com’s forum member badfish51581 has written one of the most informed personal case studies of the classic Simeons protocol, distinguishing it from Kevin Trudeau’s adaptation. Badfish lost 31.5 pounds on the diet in 30 days using a 125 IU injection of hCG daily. Meals for each day consisted of one apple, 100 grams of chicken in salad, another apple, then 100 grams of chicken in a broth. He doesn’t rule out possible placebo effects, but he does insist that he has able to distinguish between psychological cravings and actual hunger pangs, and strongly believes that hCG significantly reduced his appetite without suffering from fatigue.

I Started the HCG Diet. Beauty Bets blogger Elizabeth Dehn made three blog entries about her experience with the diet immediately after starting it. While this hCG diet review isn’t particularly extensive, or even complete (it trails off after the second week), it’s noteworthy for its candor and its real time reporting of progress rather than retroactive assessment. While she did lose four pounds in the first seven days, she attributed this to the calorie restriction rather than the hCG itself. She experienced more hunger and fatigue than most hCG dieters would admit, and increased her calorie intake from 500 to 800 (which “slowed down the weight loss process to a screeching halt”). The final entry, concludes with her giving into cravings and, presumably, ending the diet.

HCG Diet An Evidence Based Review. Rather than go on the diet himself, Joe Cannon of Supplement-Geek.com decided to review nearly 50 years’ worth of scientific studies, providing a synopsis of six individual studies and two meta-analyses. The individual studies included anywhere from 20 to 202 patients each. One meta-analysis compiled and analyzed data from 358 patients between six individual studies, while another meta-analysis reviews an unreported number of patients between 24 studies. Only one of the individual studies concluded that dieting with hCG performed better than dieting with a placebo. Homeopathic hCG drops are handled in a separate research based review with even more negative conclusions—again, not a first person account, but well-vetted third party data. Not everyone wants to read negative reviews of the hCG diet, but everyone can benefit from multiple perspectives.

Dr. Simeons’ HCG Diet Protocol

The Simeons Protocol is as simple as it is restrictive. Without hCG, the protocol would be too restrictive to be sustainable, since no more than 500 calories are being consumed on any given day. With hCG as an appetite suppressant and metabolic regulator, most dieters manage the hCG protocol without hunger.

HCG Injections

The standard protocol calls for a regimen of 125 IU daily hCG injections (pure hCG, as opposed to homeopathic hCG) over a maximum of 40 days. For those who only need to lose 15 pounds or less, a 26-day program is recommended, where the dieter receives 23 days’ worth of injections followed by three additional days on the Very Low Calorie Diet to prevent weight regain.

Prohibited Items

While excercise is allowed, massage of any kind is not. Aspirin and birth control pills are forbidden. No sugar, alcohol, oil, butter or dressing are allowed. Eggs are generally not allowed, but those who don’t eat meat may substitute eggs, eating the whites of three eggs for each whole egg eaten.

The diet prohibits the use of oil-based and cream based cosmetics, which can alter the effectiveness of the hCG hormone by entering through the skin. Traditionally, only lipstick, eyebrow pencils, and powder based makeup are allowed; but a search on “hCG makeup” will turn up many allowable products.

Daily Meals

Breakfast. Breakfast is limited to any amount of unsugared tea of coffee. These beverage may be sweetened with saccharin or Stevia—the latter being preferred, since it doesn’t affect the body’s glycemic index.

Lunch and dinner. The protocol for either meal is the same—i.e. for dinner, repeat the following instructions used for lunch. Each meal consists of four items: one lean meat, one breadstick, one type of vegetable, and one selection of allowable fruit.

• Meat and fish. 100 grams of meat or fish, weighed prior to cooking, with any visible fat stripped away. Forbidden fish are tuna, herring, eel, salmon, or any fish that’s pickled or dried
• Vegetables. Any one selection of the following: asparagus, cabbage, chard, celery, beet greens, cucumbers, green salad, onions, tomatoes, chicory, red radishes and fennel
• Breadstick. Breadsticks are sometimes called their Italian term, grissini (with grissino being the singular). A single grissino is allowed, or a slice of Melba toast as a substitute
• Fruit. Any one selection of the following: one half-grapefruit, one handful of strawberries, one orange or apple—a single apple, not two small apples

Allowed seasonings and condiments: salt, pepper, garlic, thyme, parsely, mustard powder, vinegar or marjoram. Foods may also be flavored with the juice of a single lemon per day.

Between lunch and dinner combined, no more than 200 grams of fresh meat or fish should be consumed on the hCG diet protocol, nor any type of food exceeding 500 calories on any given day.

5 Great HCG Diet Forum Sites

HCG Diet Info. In terms of membership size, thread views and sheer number of posts, HCG Diet Info is clearly has the highest level of community engagement. Many hCG diet forums contain the same topics—loading, phases (P1 through P4) and testimonials—but HCG Diet Info has a somewhat unique forum for vegetarians, as well as one of the only forums that discusses Dr. Daniel Belluscio’s protocol. Most hCG sites either stick to one hCG protocol, or focus primarily on the protocols of Dr. Albert Simeons or Kevin Trudeau.

HCG Weight Loss Forum. In its visual layout and topic organization, the HCG Weight Loss Forum is virtually identical to HCG Diet Info, though the latter gets more traffic. While the Weight Loss Forum seems at first glance to be a carbon copy, it has its own thriving community and informative forums in its own right, with topics that are even more well organized. For instance, instead of having forum that covers all four phases of the diet, HCGWLF has an individual forum (or “Lounge”) for each phase. There’s also a separate recipe forum for each phase.

HCG Forums. The site generically named HCG Forums has a much smaller membership and a much smaller body of posts than the sites listed above. The top forums in HCG Forums have a few hundred posts, while HCG Diet Info has tens of thousands. While this is a less essential site, it does have good a good forum on Teas and Supplements as well as one on Meals and Snack Recipes. The moderators could be more agressive in controlling spammers, but they don’t let things get completely out of hand.

HCGDietChat.com. Like HCG Forums, HCGDietChat.com is another relatively low traffic, low membership site that still offers some good info—particularly their Recipes forum, which is split into phase-specific subforums. While many of the forums lack recent posts, the Lounge forum still gets a healthy amount of engagement.

HCG Dieters. The Diet Club Forum’s subforum, HCG Dieters, doesn’t have any subforums of its own. It’s basically a long, one-page general discussion thread on the HCG diet. Since it doesn’t delve into more focused discussion threads, the forum doesn’t need to be revisited on a regular basis; but it’s an excellent thread to read if you’re new to the diet, and just want to get a feel for the issue surrounding it in one sitting.

Because the hormone is a direct intra-muscular application, the body needs 40% less of it than would be the case for oral versions. After their first injection, hCG dieters almost always discover that, like insulin shots, hCG shots are essentially painless. In fact the shots are applied with the very same fine-gauge insulin syringe. Many users prefer to go to a weight loss clinic, where the 23- to 43-day program can be supervised, but it’s also possible for users to purchase the hormone themselves after receiving a prescription.

HCG Products

HCG for use with a syringe is prescription-only, in contrast with hCG drops which come in homeopathic and pure (non-homeopathic) versions. Where a daily dose of pure hCG taken orally might be 175 to 225 International Units, a standard 6x dilution of homeopathic hCG (HHCG) is only .0001 UI, meaning that it contains almost nothing but water. On the hCG injections diet, dosages as low as 125 IU per day can be used, though 150-175 IU is the norm.

Most hCG injection kits sold through online resellers do not include hCG itself, which must be purchase separately. Some hCG resellers get around the prescription requirement have routing fulfillment through a distributor with a doctor on staff. The protocol is to have the customer submit a request to the distributor in the form of a questionnaire where “weight loss” must be specified as the reason for the request. As long as the customer agrees to purchase directly from the distributor, the in-house doctor will provide the prescription.

The contents of these kits, which usually come in 23-day and 43-day versions, typically include the following: 23-43 single use syringes (either combination syringes, or a single syringe with a supply of multiple needles), two sterile vials, two mixing syringes, two mixing vials, a supply of daily alcohol wipes, and a set of instructions. Some kits also come with a vitamin B12 supplement. 23-day kits tend to cost between $25 and $45, while 43-day kits are generally between $40 and $80.

Prices of hCG drops vs injections tend to favor drops. A 30-day supply of injectable hCG costs 50-100% more than sublingual drops. Prices can vary greatly between online resellers, but a somewhat common range for hCG drops is $100-150 for a 30-day supply compared to $250-300 for the same supply of hCG shots. For customers who would rather not hassle doing the work of mixing hCG with bacteriostatic water themselves, many vendors offer it premixed.

Should You Try the HCG Injections Diet?

HCG drops are appropriate for dieters who a especially needle-phobic, allergic to needles or cannot access injectables in their state. Some states will not allow the sale of needles without a prescription—but ultimately, a prescription will be necessary for any non-homeopathic hCG anyway. Due to the lower dosages needed, injectable hCG is more economical in the long run, can be used for spot reduction, and burns fat at a faster rate. Aside from the psychological resistance to needles, the greater efficiency of hCG injections may make it a better overall value.

Historically, the hormone has been used to treat problems with infertility in women and problems with dropped testicles in boys. In the Fifties, Dr. Albert Simeons began experimenting with its use on obese patients, noting that hCG worked effectively for collecting adipose tissue (accumulated fat) while preserving lean muscle tissue; furthermore, it acted as an appetite suppressant than enabled patient to feel full on a diet of only 500 to 550 calories a day.

Homeopathic HCG vs Real HCG

HCG homeopathic preparations are made by taking an active ingredient—in this case, hCG—and diluting it multiple times, vigorously shaking it between dilutions, to the point where few or even no molecules of the original substance are left. According to homeopathic theory, this process of “potentization” allows the substance to leave a biochemical imprint on the water molecules so that the medicinal effect remains intact, even in the substance’s virtual absence.

Non-homeopathic hCG drops can only be obtained through a prescription. Since many physicians discourage any Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD), getting them to prescribe pure hCG can be difficult; so many dieters enroll in an hCG weight loss clinic, where they can receive daily injections or drops with a prescription. Even doctors at these weight loss clinics are often critical of HHCG, dismissing it as a placebo.

How Do HCG and HHCG Work?

Dieters on hCG are said to lose between 15 and 40 pounds a month—a rather spectacular claim. Whether homeopathic or “real” hCG is used, critics contend that the rapid weight loss is strictly the result of the calorie restriction. On 500 calories a day, losing a pound a day is not at all far-fetched. But does hCG contribute anything substantive to the diet?

There are many testimonials in which dieters claim to be able to maintain the low calorie diet without feeling hungry. According to Dr. Simeons, this results from the hCG stimulating the hypothalamus to mobilize fat deposits, allowing them to make their stored calories available to the metabolism. Instead of getting their energy from carbohydrates, dieters get their energy from fat.

Is Homeopathic HCG a Placebo?

This supposedly does not occur with homeopathic hCG. According the critics, the lack of ketosis under the HHCG diet can be demonstrated with keto strips (a.k.a. keto sticks). When ketones are present, urine turns the keto strips dark. This would also indicate that muscle tissue was being preserved. While critics have insisted keto strips tested after homeopathic hCG was taken, many commenters on the internet have stated that they’ve carried out the test themselves, and found that the strips did, in fact, turn dark.

Skeptics note that, at a standard 6x dilution, there would not be enough of the hormone in a conventional 30c container of hCG to have any appetite suppressant effect; therefore, support it provides to the dieter is purely psychological. For anyone anxious to test the hCG diet, it’s highly recommended to test pure, prescription hCG for a week to get a baseline of its effectiveness before switching to homeopathic hCG.

Human Chondionic Gonadotropin (hCG) is a glycoprotein hormone produced by women upon pregnancy—its presence in testing is used to determine if a woman is pregnant. HGC was first extracted for medical use to increase fertility in women, but was adapted for use as an appetite suppressant in the 1950s to facilitate low calorie diets. Dr. A.T.W. Simeons found that his patients were able to maintain a diet of only 500 calories a day without experiencing hunger.

HCG Effectiveness Questioned

The FDA refuses to acknowledge hCG’s alleged appetite suppressant capabilities, and actually requires hCG products to carry a disclaimer stating that the hormone has not been proven to curb appetite or burn fat deposits—another claim made by Dr. Simeons. Most nutritionists discourage dieters from eating less than 1200 calories a day to ensure metabolic regulation. A VLCD that’s significantly under 1200 calories can lead to electrolyte imbalances, gallstones, loss of bone and loss of lean muscle tissue. Dr. Simeons, on the other hand, claimed that he patients lost fat and keeping lean muscle tissue.

He also insisted that the adipose tissues (fat stores) that hCG burned away were converted in enough energy to compensate for the drop in calories. The body normally burns three macronutrients: first carbohydrates, then fats, then proteins. On the hCG diet, carbohydrates are prohibited (as well as sugar, dairy and alcohol), so the body switches to burning accumulated fat once any stored carbs have been burned. This is supposed to explain both the rapid weight loss and the fact that patients experienced no fatigue—at least according to Dr. Simeons.

While there is a high volume of anecdotal testimonial online about the effectiveness of the hCG diet, independent clinical studies have not confirmed Simeons’ reports. In 1995, a review that analyzed 14 different clinical trials found that only two had proven to be more effective for weight loss on a VLCD supported by hCG injections than a VLCD supported by a salt-water placebo. The implication, shared by many medical skeptics, was that the weight loss was due exclusively to the low amount of food being consumed, and that the dieter’s ability to cope with such a restrictive diet had more to due with the power of suggestion than any biochemical properties of hCG per se.

Homeopathic HCG vs. Pure HCG

While many skeptics dismiss all claims of hCG’s effectiveness, some hCG proponents draw a distinction between homeopathic hCG and concentrated hCG—sometimes called “pure hCG” or “real hCG”. Homeopathic medicine is based on the premise that the active ingredient in any medicinally potent substance has an “essence” that allow the substance to be reduced infinitesimally. Many drugs that are prescription-only or banned by the FDA are sold legally as homeopathic products by diluting them to the point where they’re almost entirely water, without so much as a milligram of the active ingredient. Many erstwhile defendants of hCG contend than HHCG isn’t a supplement, but a placebo.

Side Effects Associated with HCG

As mentioned, most hCH diet side effects have more to do with the small amount of food. Diet clinics that provide daily hCG injections only allow patients to stay on 500 calories per day for a maximum of five weeks before requiring them to consume a normal amount of food for six weeks before resuming the diet.

However, there are definite dangers linked to hCG itself. HCG supplementation in women has been found to cause Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS), whose symptoms include vomiting, breathing difficulties, excessive urination, nausea, abdominal pain and swelling. One male hCG dieter reported a pulmonary embolism, which is a blood clot in the lung that can be fatal. In both men and women, hCG has been frequently reported to cause headaches, irritability, constipation, temporary hair thinning, hand swelling and breast tenderness.

The more frequent complaints online, particularly of headaches and irritability, are more likely due to the metabolic transition from burning carbohydrates to burning protein, since most of these complaints seem to cease after the first few days. It’s recommended that prospective hCG dieters undergo the diet under medical supervision at a proper hCG diet clinic. The patient’s calorie allotment can be adjusted for their tested resting metabolic rate rather than held to a one-size-fits-all 500-calorie standard.

Oral supplements of pure hCG are prescription-only, but homeopathic hCG drops (HHCG drops) can be purchased without a prescription. The latter arguably contain effectively no hCG, based on the homeopathic theory of using extremely minute dilutions of an active ingredient. Like other liquid homeopathic medicines, they bypass FDA restriction by being almost 100% water. Nonetheless, HHCG has a high volume of positive, unsolicited testimonials. Claims of one-pound-per day weight loss on a pure hCG diet are not uncommon.

The hCG diet got its start in the 1950s, with hCG having already proved successful for treating infertility problems in women and certain hormonal problems in pre-pubescent boys. Endocrinologist A.T.W. Simeons, pioneer of the official hCG diet, observed that by administering small doses of hCG to his obese patients, they would lose adipose tissue (accumulated fat) in trouble spots like the thighs, buttocks, upper arms and stomach while preserving muscle tissue.

Dr. Simeons claimed in his original manuscript, “Pounds and Inches”, that the glycoprotein hormone not only aids in collecting adipose tissue from the body, but also acts as strong appetite suppressant, allowing the dieter it maintain a under 500-calorie daily regimen without feeling hungry.

HCG remains FDA approved due to its origins as a fertility drug, but the agency discourages its use for weight loss, requiring labels on hGC products to state that the hormone has not been proven to accelerate weight loss, curb appetite or burn fat. The FDA has not positively refuted HCG weight loss claims, but is unwilling to endorse its use as a weight loss supplement without sufficient clinical evidence that the supplement is the active ingredient in the rapid weight loss that many dieters have experienced when using it.

Many critics insist that the key to HCG has less to due with dissolving adipose tissue and everything to do with the small number of calories eaten each day. Dieters are are prohibited from eating more than 500 calories per day. If they go over the limit, they’re required to drink nothing but water the following day and eat nothing but six apples.

On regular days, recommended foods are vegetables and organic meat and fish, while all carbohydrates, dairy, sugar and alcohol are off-limits. HCG advocates don’t necessarily disagree with the argument that Simeons’ Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD) is the primary cause of weight loss, but point out that as long as hCG works as an appetite suppressant, the hCG/VLCD regimen is extremely effective.

In clinical settings, supervised programs offer packets of different lengths. Some clinics, for instance, offer a 3-week program for $500 or a 5-week program for $600. The patient receives daily injections during this period, after which he or she must go off the injections and eat normally for at least six weeks to prevent developing an immunity to hCG.

The hCG diet is not a panacea. It requires discipline, just like any other diet. While hCG might be effective in reducing one’s appetite, many overeaters eat habitually rather than being driven by appetite, so staying within the 500 calorie limit for several weeks is a project that should not be taken lightly. It’s highly recommended that anyone considering the hCG diet research the arguments for an against it thoroughly, and opt for clinical supervision if possible.

Protein powder is the most popular and in demand form of protein supplements because with it, you can experiment and do lots of different flavored drinks.  What you only need is either milk or water to dissolve the powder into, and then add some other ingredients like fruits so you have more options to add more flavor to it.  There are protein powders that are already flavored with fruits so only need to add water.  It can be served hot or cold.  Another option is making shakes using different protein shake recipes.

Studies have shown that although we can get protein from every day foods like nuts, fish, eggs and oats, they are not enough to yield dramatic muscle gain, that’s why you need protein supplements to increase your protein intake and therefore, increase your chances of building up more muscles.

Protein Powder Sources

Protein powders are derived from different protein rich sources or a combination of them including whey, casein, egg, soy and hemp seeds.  These are natural foods where protein is extracted and then turned into powder.

Top Protein Powder Brands

Since there are more and more people who are turning into bodybuilders and there are some who wish to gain more weight quickly because they lost some due to illness or injury, many brands are coming out in the market.  The best protein powder brands that are most sought after include Protein Combat Powder, 100% Whey, IsoPro Ultra Lean, Muscle Milk Collegiate, ISS Complete Whey Powder, and many others.  If you want to see more brands, you can search online and you’ll see a longer list of products and weight loss supplements.